Supporters of Our Lady's Apostolate have reason to take heart: Pope Francis has asked Cardinal Policarpo of Lisbon to consecrate his papacy to Our Lady of Fatima. The means for doing this was left to the Cardinal's discretion, but His Eminence let it be known that the Holy Father made the request twice. (See: “Pontificate of Pope Francis to be consecrated to Our Lady of Fatima!”.)

Given the short time that has elapsed since the election of Pope Francis, two requests in the space of a month can only be interpreted as a sense of urgency. This consecration is something that Pope Francis wants to be certain is accomplished without much delay.

Cardinal Policarpo made the Pope's request known to the Portuguese Bishops Conference, saying that the prayer of consecration could be made individually by him, in silence, but that he thought it would be “nice” if the bishops were to participate in it.

The pilgrimage will be headed by the Archbishop of Rio De Janiero, Mons. Orani Tempesta, and will attract many thousands of Catholics from throughout the world. The exact form of the ceremony and the wording of the prayer of consecration have yet to be announced. But the consecration will take place on May 13, 2013.

That Cardinal Policarpo should be a central figure in bringing about this act of consecration is significant. He is not noted for his devotion to Fatima nor for his fidelity to Catholic doctrine. (See: “More on the Consecration of Pope Francis' Pontificate on May 13”.) But Our Lady's grace, and the Pope's requests, cannot be resisted.

Our Lady's Apostolate asks all our supporters to pray for the Holy Father. Especially, we should ask Our Lady to give Pope Francis the grace and courage needed to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as She requested. Meanwhile, we are not sitting idly by but are taking action to assist the Pope in every way we can.

We are writing to all the Catholic bishops in the world, asking them to join in this prayer of consecration for the Holy Father and to consecrate their own dioceses to Our Lady of Fatima. If the Pope knows that the bishops of the world are with him in his devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, it may provide him with the encouragement he needs to proceed with the consecration of Russia.

The public consecration of this papacy to Our Lady of Fatima is wonderful news. We must all be grateful to Our Lady and to Pope Francis. And we can show our gratitude by praying fervently that the Holy Father will, at long last, lead the bishops in doing the one and only thing that will bring peace to the world and restore order in our Church: obey Our Lady.

We must also keep informed. Read the recent “Fatima Perspectives” articles listed below.

Latest Fatima Perspectives

A Prelude to the Consecration of Russia? — Rorate Caeli reports that, in response to the personal request of Pope Francis, the bishops of Portugal will “consecrate the Pope's Pontificate to Our Lady of Fatima” and that the bishops... have just decided that this consecration be made next May 13.” So, yet again, Fatima comes to the fore of a pontificate, just as it did with Pius XII, Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI, the latter three of whom made pilgrimages to Fatima during their respective reigns, thus keeping this “private revelation” firmly implanted in the public consciousness of the Church.

The Return of Christ the King? — During the rite for the inauguration of the pontificate of Pope Francis, which preceded the papal Mass, the schola intoned repeatedly: Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat — Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands. And, at the conclusion of the rite, the schola intoned: “May the peace of Christ come!” to which the assembly replied: “May the reign of Christ come!” Christ is, in fact, our King. The papal inauguration rite proclaimed this as well: “King of Kings. Our King.”

Some Wise Words from Father Gruner — When the pontificate of Pope Francis was but six days old and certain pundits and commentators of the Internet were already pronouncing him anathema, Father Gruner was asked what he thinks of the new Pope. His reply was characteristically prudent: “You can criticize anybody for anything. For example, if someone works hard he must be overly ambitious. Or if he dresses plainly he is just trying to impress people with his frugality. Or if he shows loyalty he is only trying to curry favor with a higher-up. That kind of guessing game about motives never ends. And what does it get us besides a justified accusation of rash judgment?”

HELP KEEP OUR LADY OF FATIMA ONLINE

Keeping Our Lady's websites online and updated costs many thousands of dollars each year. We rely totally on the
prayers and freewill offerings of people of faith like you. Won't you please help us send Our Lady's Fatima Message
to millions of souls through the power of the Internet? Click
here to help keep Our Lady online. Please do it now!

You can also make your donation by calling us toll-free at

1-800-263-8160

Please forward this newsletter to all your family and friends!The Fatima Network

This newsletter is intended for subscribers and others interested in the Message of Our Lady of Fatima and the work of Our Lady's Apostolate.
If you wish to be removed from our e-mailing list, please let us know. Just send your reply to our e-mail address with “unsubscribe” in the
subject line, and we will respect your wishes.